Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Butterscotch Candy

My father-in-law, Dave,
always carries wrapped hard candies in his pocket. Some of them he enjoys
himself, but mostly, he gives them away. He’s done for at least the thirty-four
years I’ve known him and more than likely even longer than that.

Over the Thanksgiving
weekend, he and my mother-in-law were here for a visit. The family decided to go
see a local greenhouse’s Christmas finery.As we were walking through the rows and rows of Poinsettias, a young
woman asked if we needed any assistance. We replied no thanks, and that we were just
looking around.

But then my father-in-law
said to her, “You look like you could use some candy,” as he held a butterscotch
in the palm of his hand. Her face brightened.I swear, even the freckles across her nose became more noticeable.She smiled, said thanks, and took the
candy.This transaction took less than
ten seconds, but it made and impression.It made an impression on me, too.The
look on her face was golden.

As we walked away, I said to
Dave, “You used to give out peppermints.Why did you change to butterscotch?”His reply? “Too many people have problems [digestion, flavor; etcetera]
with mints.” I thought to myself: He changed his candy to please other people.
Then I said to him, “You’re giving God’s good grace one piece of candy at a
time.”

And he is.

This whole candy-giving
thing got me to thinking about how I show God’s grace.What do I do, what do I say to show His
glory? What have I done to be the good
I wish to see in the world ?I came up with a “what I’ve done(recently)” list:

1.I
gave a young father’s child pen and paper while we were in a restaurant to keep
the child occupied and out of trouble while the other adults chatted.

2.I
say ‘excuse me’ in stores when I cross paths with other patrons.

3.I
keep my classroom stocked with candy for all of the ESL students in night
classes.

4.If
someone drops/spills something; I pick it up, or help them pick up.

It’s rather humbling to make
a list.It makes me think I can do more,
if I put my mind to it.If I make IT a priority.
How will I show God’s grace??? I’ll let
you know in future posts what I come up with.

In the meantime, maybe you'll want to try this
little experiment too! I'd love to hear how it goes for you.

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About Me

I'm Nadine. Wife, mother, grandmother. I've been a teacher for many moons. I love to read. I think, therefore I write. Couldn't stop myself from being any of these things, even if I wanted to-- and I don't want to.